As Chairperson of the Assembly Standing Committee on Governmental
Operations, I respectfully submit to you the 2001 Annual Report. I have
outlined the Committee's significant legislation and our outlook for the
2002 session.

The committee has achieved a number of significant accomplishments this
year. The state's "Son of Sam" law was improved, making it easier for
victims of crime to recoup losses from their perpetrators. The
legislature passed other initiatives to protect the rights of crime
victims, establish clearer privacy protection for individuals whose
genetic material is used in research, create an internet privacy policy,
and expand the provisions of FOIL to deal with the flow of electronic
information in a way that protects the state's computer system.

The agenda for 2002 will continue the Committee's focus on improving
government efficiency, as well as improving the regulations that address
the role that technology plays in the relationship between citizens and
government. Additionally, while public safety has always been an
important issue to the committee, in the wake of the September 11 tragedy,
improving programs and communications technology for all emergency
services will be an even greater priority.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the
Committee for their continued support. Their contributions have been
central to the past years achievements.

The Governmental Operations Committee's jurisdiction encompasses a
broad spectrum of legislative issues. The Committee's subject areas
include: governmental reform, lobbying laws, crime victims, human
rights, the executive law, the rights of the physically challenged,
procurement, Indian affairs, the Freedom of Information and Open
Meetings Laws, public lands and buildings, and the organization and
operation of the executive and legislative branches of State
government. The Committee also acts on legislation referred to
it by the Assembly Ethics and Guidance Committee, the Administrative
Regulation Review Commission, and the Legislative Commission on
Government Administration.

The Governmental Operations Committee considers legislation addressing
the Crime Victims Board, the agency charged with advocating for and
compensating eligible crime victims. The Committee's interest in and
commitment to the concerns of crime victims goes beyond issues
directly relating to the Board itself. The committee developed a
legislative package to improve the responsiveness of the criminal
justice system to crime victims and to improve the structure of the
Board.

EXTENDING TIME FOR FILING CLAIMS
(Chapter 359 of 2001/A.4516, Mayersohn)

This law will extend the time for filing a claim with the Crime
Victims Board when the claimant had no knowledge of the compensation
program. Crime victims must file compensation claims with the Crime
Victims Board, in person or by mail, no later than one year after the
occurrence of the crime. This period may be extended indefinitely if
the Board feels that there exists good cause evidencing why a crime
victim did not file a claim within the one-year period.

The Crime Victims Board has estimated that annually, over 26,000
crime victims in New York State have crime-related bills or lost
earnings and may be eligible for compensation under the state program.
Of these victims less than half file claims with the Board. For those
claims that are filed, over 2,000 are denied simply because victims
filed claims after the one-year period as they were not aware of the
compensation program. This act waives this restriction if the victim
was not notified of their eligibility to receive compensation at the
police station, hospital or other agency named by the Crime Victims
Board.

EXPANDING THE "SON OF SAM" LAW
(Chapter 62 of 2001/A.9278, Destito)

This law expands the provisions of the "Son of Sam" law in
New York State. This expansion addresses deficiencies of the current
law dealing with both the status of the offender and the assets that
are accessible to the victim under the statute. This law extends the
period of time during which the convicted criminal could be found
civilly liable for damages caused by the crime to include time served
for the crime or time served on conditional release or parole and
the three years following the end of such a sentence. This law also
expands the type of assets that the victims and families of victims
could make claims against to include all assets regardless of source
with the exception of child support. These expansions will allow more
crime victims to receive compensation for the expenses related to the
crimes committed against them.

Crime victims have indicated that decisions denying compensation
claims awards by the Crime Victims Board do not contain an explanation
of the reasoning behind the decision. Often a claimant is not given a
basis for the Board's denial of a claim, thereby provoking an appeal
of the decision on that basis.

This bill would require that all determinations of claims made by
the Crime Victims Board be rendered in accordance with the State
Administrative Procedure Act, which requires stating the reason for
the determination. Additionally, Board members would be required to
include the reason for departing from precedent.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Crime Victims,
Crime and Correction Committee.

This bill would establish a victim's assistance education program,
which would be developed by the Crime Victims Board and the Division
of Criminal Justice Services. Attendance by the staff of the Crime
Victims Board would be mandatory on a biennial basis; board members
would attend at least one program. Education programs would also be
developed for use by police, sheriffs, administrative law judges,
district attorneys and providers of victim assistance services. This
measure would ensure that members and staff of the Crime Victims
Board are fully knowledgeable and trained in skills that would
provide assistance to crime victims.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Crime Victims,
Crime and Correction Committee.

VICTIM NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES
(A.1985, Sidikman)

This bill would help to ensure that crime victims are made aware of
available assistance programs. It would require the Commissioner of
the Division of Criminal Justice Services, in cooperation with the
Crime Victims Board, to develop procedures and forms to be used by
police agencies, sheriff's departments, and district attorneys'
offices to notify crime victims about their rights under the law
and about the existence of victim assistance programs.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Crime Victims,
Crime, and Corrections Committee.

ANTITRUST FUND
(A.2215, John)

This bill would grant court's discretion to designate part or all
of any fine or penalty paid by an adjudicated violator of the state's
antitrust laws to be deposited with the Crime Victims Board. Antitrust
crime, by its very nature, is an economic crime against the interest
of the people of this state. In these cases, it is appropriate for
courts to be given discretion to direct fines to the Crime Victims
Board.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Consumer
Protection Committee.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
(A.2973, Sanders)

This bill would change the reporting requirements regarding
restitution and fair treatment standards from annually to every two
years, and would consolidate annual reporting requirements. While
annual reporting for crime victim service programs would be
maintained, biennial reporting would be implemented regarding the
manner in which the rights, needs and interests of crime victims
are being addressed by the criminal justice system.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Crime
Victims, Crime, and Correction Committee.

DOCUMENTATION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR COMPENSATION
(A.3909, Pretlow)

This bill would authorize the Crime Victims Board to accept other
official documents in lieu of police reports to document eligibility
for compensation for rape or sexual assault. Studies show that many
victims need time to deal with the effects of a sexual assault and
are not emotionally ready to go to the police immediately after a
crime has been committed. Failure to file a police report should not
bar compensation. New York State is not precluded under federal law
or regulation from changing the eligibility criteria.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Crime Victims,
Crime, and Corrections Committee.

CLARIFICATION OF STATUTORY LANGUAGE
(A.4321, Ortiz)

This bill would define the term "necessary court
appearance" for the purpose of determining a crime victim's
award or compensation. The success of the judicial system is
directly influenced by the treatment of and input from crime
victims. Our judicial system can function more effectively when
victims report crimes, confer with prosecutors, testify at
hearings and trial, and participate in other phases. Some victims,
however, can ill afford the transportation costs associated with
attending and participating in all phases of prosecution. This
legislation would define the term "necessary court
appearance" in order to aid crime victims in the process of
determining crime victims' awards.

This bill passed the Assembly,
but died in the Senate Crime Victims, Crime, and Correction Committee.

INCREASING AID FOR CRIME VICTIMS
(A.4540, Mayersohn)

This bill would increase the amount of money that the Crime Victims
Board can award for the repair or replacement of personal property.
Currently, the Board can only award victims $100. This bill would
increase that amount to $750, which would represent a fairer
evaluation of the personal financial damages that victims face
as the result of the crimes committed against them.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Finance
Committee.

CRIME VICTIMS BOARD OMBUDSMAN
(A.5420, DiNapoli)

This measure would establish a crime victim's ombudsman within the
Division of Criminal Justice Services and prescribe such person's
functions, powers and duties.

Interviews and discussions with crime victims have demonstrated that
there is a need for a third party to act as a liaison between
crime victims and the Crime Victims Board, the courts and other
governmental agencies. This bill would establish a state-level office
with broad investigative powers and the sole purpose of acting as
an advocate for crime victims. By providing this advocate the State
would be taking an important step in addressing the mental trauma
suffered by victims of crime, by making it as comfortable as
possible to deal with the necessary government agencies.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Finance
Committee.

THRESHOLD AMOUNT INCREASE
(A.5494, DiNapoli)

Under current law any compensation to a victim that meets or
exceeds $5,000 must be investigated to determine whether the
claimant would suffer financial difficulty in the event the award
is not granted. In 1996, the burial expense award was increased from
$2,000 to $6,000. The award increase had the unintended effect
of subjecting every family who seeks the maximum burial expense
allowance to the financial difficulty test.

By raising the threshold amount from $5,000 to $6,000, this bill
would eliminate the extra paperwork and burden to families of victims
by creating parity between the burial expense and the threshold
for providing compensation without a determination of financial
difficulty.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Crime
Victims, Crime, and Corrections Committee

FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY DETERMINATION
(A.5495, DiNapoli)

This bill would eliminate the $100,000 cap on exemption of a
claimant's homestead in determining financial difficulty for purposes
of crime victim compensation.

When making an award over $5,000 to a qualified victim, the Crime
Victims Board must consider a claimant's assets in determining
whether the victim would suffer financial difficulty in the absence
of an award. Current statute contains a $100,000 cap on the exemption
of a claimant's homestead despite the fact that property values have
changed significantly since the law was last amended in 1983.

This bill, by removing the limitation on homestead exemptions, would
allow for fluctuation of property values due to economic factors
beyond the homeowner's control, and would offer crime victims more
equitable compensation.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Crime Victims,
Crime, and Correction Committee.

ACCELERATION OF CLAIMS DISPOSITION
(A.5566, DiNapoli)

This bill would require the Secretary of the Crime Victims Board to
conduct an investigation to determine whether a claimant is eligible
to receive an award. By providing a better initial review of claims
most eligible cases would ultimately receive a quicker disposition.

The current method of investigating claims has led to a backlog of
unresolved cases. In addition, under the current system, some
claimants have had to wait up to a year, only to be told that they
are ineligible to receive an award.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Crime Victims,
Crime, and Correction Committee.

HEALTH CARE PROVIDER
(A.5567, DiNapoli)

This bill would add a health care provider to the Crime Victims
Board. Historically there has been little or no health care
representation on the Board. Since many of the claims filed with
the board involve health care issues due to injuries inflicted on
victims, the medical expertise offered by a health care practitioner
would prove an asset to the Board.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Crime
Victims, Crime, and Correction Committee.

SEXUAL ASSAULT FORENSIC EXAMINER PAYMENT PLAN
(A.7306, John)

This bill would allow hospitals that provide sexual assault
forensic exams (SAFE) to victims of sexual assault to directly
bill the Crime Victims board for their services, including the
forensic exam, laboratory tests and medications. These payments
would be set at a flat rate by the board, in cooperation with the
Department of Health and would be periodically reassessed.

By allowing the hospital in lieu of the victim to apply for this
compensation, the added pressure of cost associated with a visit
to the hospital would be removed from the victim.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Finance
Committee.

The State Division of Human Rights is the agency charged with
enforcement of the State's Human Rights Law, which protects the
citizens of New York from discrimination based on race, sex, marital
status, and other protected categories.

GENETIC TESTING
(Chapter 342 of the laws of 2001, A.8956 Sweeney)

This bill would make provisions for the use of biological samples
in scientific research and testing while protecting the identity
of the individuals donating these samples. While the state
recognizes the importance of continuing genetic research, these
important developments must be balanced with protecting the privacy
of the individuals contributing their tissue samples to be used in
this research. This bill would require the collecting agency to
remove any identifying information from tissue samples that would
allow the sample to be associated with the donating individual. This
bill would also require that participants must provide their consent
for the use of their sample, be informed that their samples will
be used for testing, and be informed how long the tissue samples
will be kept. In addition, this bill would require the participants
to be able to choose whether or not they wish to be contacted in the
future.

DISCRIMINATION CLASS ACTIONS
(A.97, Christensen)

This bill would direct the Division of Human Rights to promulgate
rules of practice to permit complaints alleging unlawful
discriminatory practices to be filed as class actions or to be
consolidated. Currently, grievances that are filed with the Human
Rights Division can be filed on an individual basis only. Complaints
alleging unlawful discriminatory practices often involve several
people in the same job classification subject to similar
discrimination. In such a situation, this bill would enable a
group of similarly situated plaintiffs to file their complaint with
the Human Rights Division in a manner that would allow a more
efficient, less expensive resolution.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate
Investigations, Taxation, and Governmental Operations Committee.

PROHIBITION OF DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SEXUAL
ORIENTATION
(A.1971, Sanders)

This bill would prohibit discrimination in education, employment,
or public accommodation based on an individual's actual or perceived
sexual orientation. Currently, State law provides for equal
opportunity regardless of age, race, creed, color, national origin,
sex, disability, or marital status, but offers no protection against
discrimination based on sexual orientation.

This exception in law is glaring, particularly in a State that has
been a leader in preserving the fundamental right of privacy. This
measure would take the appropriate steps to establish civil rights
protection for the citizens of this state regardless of their sexual
orientation.

This bill passed the Assembly for the ninth time in 2001, but died in
the Senate Rules Committee.

DISCRIMINATORY TIME FRAME
(A.2341, Sanders)

This bill would designate a time frame in which a court action may
be filed with the State Division of Human Rights. Occasionally,
complaints before the State Division of Human Rights are dismissed
for administrative convenience after investigation and conciliation
efforts. The Division has broad powers regarding its ability to
dismiss complaints and may impose such a dismissal against the
wishes of a complainant to pursue his or her complaint. This
legislation is intended to insure that the rights of the aggrieved
party to obtain redress will be maintained if his or her complaint
is dismissed after the statute of limitations set forth in the Human
Rights Law has expired.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Investigations,
Taxation, and Governmental Operations Committee.

EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS
(A.3747, Sweeney)

This bill would make technical corrections regarding employment
discrimination based on genetic characteristics and information.
This law corrects the unintended effects of Chapter 497 of the Laws
of 1996, which prohibited the testing of DNA samples without the
informed consent of the person from whom the sample was taken or that
person's authorized representative, with exceptions in certain
forensic cases. The statute as written, however, inadvertently
restricts certain reasonable research practices.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate
Investigations, Taxation, and Governmental Operations
Committee.

GENDER REFERENCING
(A.3960, Galef)

This resolution to amend the state constitution would formally
recognize the parity of men and women in the state constitution. In
the first 13 pages of the constitution alone, words of the masculine
gender are used 75 times. The male reference is used throughout
Article IV when referring to Executive powers. These amendments
grant women parity in the state constitution.

This resolution was initially passed by both houses of the state
legislature during the 1999-2000 legislative session. Having meet
this initial requirement of being enacted by two separate
legislatures, the resolution will be delivered to the secretary of
state to be placed on the ballot for adoption or rejection by the
voters.

This resolution was enacted by public approval as a part of the 2001
general election ballot.

GENDER PRICING
(A.5396, Clark)

This bill would prohibit different pricing schemes for similar or
like services based solely upon a person's sex. Several studies,
including one conducted by the New York City Commissioner of Consumer
Affairs, have shown that women are often charged more than men for
services by the same service provider when there is no difference
in the type, nature or duration of service rendered. This situation
has been most frequently documented in cases involving dry cleaning
and haircutting.

Consumers injured by a violation would be authorized to bring
actions to recover either treble damages or $100, whichever is
greater. Attorney's fees would also be awarded to a prevailing
plaintiff and the Attorney General would be authorized to make an
application for an injunction against the continuance of an alleged
violation. In addition, the State Consumer Protection Board would
be required to maintain a record of complaints and actions taken
regarding price discrimination and to report its activities and
statistics in this area annually.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Consumer
Protection Committee.

PAY EQUITY
(A.5416, DiNapoli)

This bill would make it an illegal discriminatory practice to
compensate employees of different sexes differently for work that
is of comparable worth. A January 1998 Assembly hearing on
comparable worth and pay equity issues yielded several suggestions
that would help resolve some of the problems resulting from
gender-based wage discrimination in the work place. Of these
suggestions, the greatest impact on the problem would be achieved
by an explicit prohibition in the Human Rights Law of gender-based
wage setting in female-dominated job classifications that makes
it an unlawful discriminatory practice to engage in such
discrimination.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate
Investigations, Taxation, and Governmental Operations
Committee.

The Freedom of Information Law extends the public's right to know
the process of governmental decision-making by allowing citizens to
review documents that form the bases of governmental decisions and
actions. The Open Meetings Law ensures that citizens are fully aware
of and can observe the performance of public officials by attending
and listening to the deliberations and decisions that go into the
making of public policy. Both these laws ensure the government's
accountability to the people.

This law make changes to the freedom of information law (FOIL) to
allow state agencies to better protect their information
technology. Under state law, state agencies were allowed to
deny access to their computer access codes, but the terminology
of the law, enacted in 1984, was not adequate to protect all
information that could allow unauthorized access to electronic
files, communications and other assets. This law amends that
section, expanding the exemption to better reflect the current
technology.

REDEFINING THE TERM PUBLIC BODY UNDER THE OPEN
MEETINGS LAW
(A.134, John)

This bill would clarify the definition of "public body"
for purposes of inclusion under the Open Meetings Law. The
Department of State Committee on Open Government recommended in
its 1992 Report to the Governor and the Legislature that section
102(2) of the Public Officers Law be amended to clarify the term
"public body,", and to include designated advisory
committees and subcommittees within that definition. Under the
current language, the application of the Open Meetings Law to
these advisory bodies is ambiguous. Amending the language of this
section would prevent the proceedings and decisions of such
advisory bodies from falling beyond the scope of the Open Meetings
Law.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate
Investigation, Taxation, and Governmental Operations
Committee.

PUBLIC MEETINGS LOCATIONS
(A. 970, Luster)

This bill would mandate that when planning a public meeting,
the body in charge of planning make all reasonable efforts to
hold the meeting in a location that is appropriate to accommodate
the members of the public that wish to attend.

This bill passed the Assembly but died in the Senate
Investigations, Taxation, and Governmental Operations
committee.

PENALTIES FOR UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF WARRANTS
(A.1730, Stringer)

This bill would regulate the public disclosure of information
stored in the statewide computerized registry of orders of protection
and family offense warrants by establishing a criminal penalty for
any person who willfully allows the inappropriate release of any data
or information stored in the registry. In addition, a civil fine of
up to $5,000 could be imposed for negligent release of this
information.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Finance
Committee.

PRESERVING EXECUTIVE RECORDS
(A.1953, Hoyt)

This bill would reform the record keeping of the Executive Chamber.
This bill would require that the executive keep both public and
private records for the sitting executive's term in office. At
the end of the term, all such records would be turned over to the
state archives, at which point the state archivist would take control
of the records and make decisions regarding the access and
disposition of those records. This act would apply to all
records not exempted under the existing public officers law.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Finance
Committee.

ACCESS TO PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED
(A.1978, Stringer)

This bill would require that when planning a public meeting, those
in charge of planning the meeting provide an interpreter for the deaf
when requested and when practical. This bill would require that
this request be in writing and be made in a reasonable amount of
time prior to the public meeting.

This bill would require that twelve of the executive's major
regulatory agencies keep records of all communications with
policy-making personnel that are intended to influence their
decisions on changes in agency rules. The twelve agencies are:
Department of State, Banking Department, Insurance Department,
State Liquor Authority, Department of Agriculture and Markets,
Department of Education, Department of Environmental
Conservation, Department of Health, Division of Housing and
Community Renewal, Department of State, Department of Public
Service, Industrial Board of Appeals, and the Department of
Law. This bill would further require that this record of
communication be available to the public for inspection and
copying.

This bill passed the Assembly but died in the Senate Finance
committee.

The governmental operations committee has jurisdiction over the
Public Officers Law, which regulates many of the actions of public
employees. Some of these regulated actions deal with interactions
between individuals and state agencies and address ethical concerns,
while others deal with protection for public employees. In many
cases these laws are an important demonstration to the public of
government's desire to have an open and ethical system of
government.

EXPANSION OF THE STATE LOBBYING LAW
(Chapter 17 of 2001/A.5798, Grannis)

This law delays application of the existing regulations governing
lobbying to municipalities. The effective date of this provision
when first enacted was January 1, 2001, which gave local governments
time to adjust to the new rules and regulations that accompanied
this extension to municipalities. This law requires a report
detailing the effect of the lobbying act's provisions on
municipalities to be completed by October 1, 2001, and delays the
effective date of these new regulations until April 1, 2002, six
months after the required report.

ALLOWING STATE OFFICERS TO ASSIST IN STATE LEGAL
MATTERS
(Chapter 357 of 2001/A. 8932, Canestrari)

This law will expand an existing exemption in the public officer's
law to allow former state officers and employees to testify in state
civil actions and proceedings. Under existing law, in cases in which
the attorney general represents a state agency in a civil matter,
the attorney general can certify to the ethics commission that a
former employee has specific knowledge or expertise that the state
could not acquire at comparable cost elsewhere, and therefore that
former employee is allowed to testify, appear at depositions and
otherwise participate in the case. This law will expand that
exemption to allow the agency's general counsel to make the same
certification to the state ethics commission in cases in which
the attorney general is not representing the agency.

This bill would expand the protection offered to the public from
legal actions brought against them in retribution for actions seeking
to protect the public interest. Under current law, these suits are
only prohibited in very specific instances, leaving a great number
of individuals open to malicious litigation instigated by public
officials in positions of power, when their use of that power is
questioned. This bill would expand the number of cases in which
public speech and petitioning rights are protected by broadening
the definition of public officials to include all those elected or
appointed to and employed by a government body or agency.

REVOLVING DOOR EXEMPTIONS
(A.3199, Canestrari)

This bill would exempt certain State workers who lost their jobs
as a result of the reduction in the State work force in the 1997
calendar year from the two-year bar which prevents a State worker
from practicing before the agency where he or she was employed.
This is intended to open up new employment opportunities for those
workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Rules
Committee.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE BY CANDIDATES FOR STATE OFFICE
(A.5421, DiNapoli)

This bill would require that all candidates for state-wide office
and the state legislature who file petitions with a party must also
submit financial disclose forms for public review. These financial
disclosure forms would be due no later than 14 days after the
deadline for the filing of petitions.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Finance
Committee.

The Governmental Operations Committee has jurisdiction over the State
Administrative Procedure Act (SAPA), which governs the conduct of state
administrative hearings and proceedings. Regulations are promulgated by
agencies in order to carry out their missions and to effect the law.
In many cases, regulations issued by State agencies have as much impact
on the health, safety, and welfare of citizens as do the laws of the
State.

ALTERNATE METHODS OF LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION STANDARDS
(Chapter 479 of the laws of 2001/A.5217 McLaughlin)

This law will require agencies to consider petitions from local
governments concerning alternative methods of implementing regulatory
provisions. There is a need for flexibility in implementing
regulations that impose mandates on local governments in order to
avoid any unfair burdens placed on small municipalities. This
legislation aims to reduce administrative burdens on localities while
still having provisions implemented effectively.

LEGISLATIVE NOTICE OF REQUIRED RULES
(A.62, John)

This bill would direct state agencies to send a draft notice of
proposed rule making changes to the prime legislative sponsors of
the bill that created the law. In a 1995 report, "A Revolution in
Regulations," the Public Policy Institute argued that agencies
sometimes are slow in adopting rules that are required by law and
are needed to implement statutory provisions. This bill would mandate
state agencies to notify legislative sponsors of any upcoming or
necessary change.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Commerce,
Economic Development, and Small Business Committee.

THE COMMUNITY NOTIFICATION AND EMPOWERMENT ACT
(A.1732, Stringer)

The Community Notification and Empowerment Act would require
community notification and review of proposed state-financed
facilities in a City of one million or more. This bill would mandate
that state-funded facilities in New York City undergo a review
process similar to the City Charter Fair Share Process.

Unfortunately, state-financed facilities are not currently required
to undergo the same rigorous review as are City projects. City
residents are often uninformed and powerless with regard to
placement of state financed facilities because there are no
provisions requiring community notification and review. This measure
would allow citizens to participate in decisions which affect the
character of their neighborhood and the quality of their lives.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Finance
Committee.

INCREASING EFFICIENCY IN THE STATE WORKFORCE
(A.2145, Robach)

This bill would amend the duties of the State Workforce Investment
Board to make them consistent with the Federal Workforce Investment
Act of 1998. This bill would create more comprehensive standards
for evaluating the preparedness and resourcefulness of the state
workforce and the business climate.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Finance
Committee.

INCREASED PROTECTION FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
(A.4130, Christensen)

This bill would protect small businesses from being overcharged
fees by state agencies by creating a tier system for certain
government and agency fees, based on the size and income of the
business. By creating this tier system, the state would be aiding
small businesses by making them more able to compete with their larger
competitors.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Commerce,
Economic Development, and Small Business Committee.

INSTALLMENT PAYMENT PLAN FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS
(A.4132, Christensen)

This bill would assist small businesses and local governments by
enabling them to make installment payments for fees or civil
penalties owed to state agencies. Fees are required to ensure that
the beneficiaries, and not the taxpayers, bear the costs of obtaining
agency permits, and civil penalties are necessary to enforce
regulatory standards. These monetary amounts, however, can impose
a disproportionate burden on small businesses or local governments.
Allowing such entities to resort to installment payments is one way
to alleviate that burden. This measure would ensure that any penalty
or fee amount of $3000 or more could be paid in quarterly
installments.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Commerce,
Economic Development, and Small Businesses Committee.

REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENTS
(A.4133, Christensen)

This bill would improve the rule-making process by providing
expanded information on the costs and benefits associated with an
agency's proposal. The requirement for regulatory impact statements
has improved the quality of rules by requiring agencies to disclose
the benefits of a proposal and the costs that would be imposed on
the regulated parties.

In many cases, agencies do not fully address the issues of who would
benefit from adoption of a regulation and who would bear the costs.
This legislation would require a detailed analysis of the full range
of expected benefits and costs of a proposed agency action.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Commerce,
Economic Development, and Small Business Committee.

SMALL BUSINESS COMPLIANCE GUIDELINE REGULATIONS
(A.4706, Christensen)

This bill would require agencies that regulate small businesses to
prepare compliance guides that explain in plain language the actions
small businesses are required to take in order to comply with state
rules. This would enable the state to replicate the federal Small
Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, which addressed
a major small business concern about the way regulations are
enforced.

The Federal Act requires the development and dissemination of
"small business compliance guides" by federal regulatory
agencies as a way to promote voluntary compliance with regulatory
standards. It also requires the development of joint federal-state
guides when regulatory responsibilities are shared. This measure
would establish the same program of providing plain-language
information on compliance requirements with regard to state
regulatory programs with small businesses, and encourage the
state agencies to cooperate in the development of joint
documents.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Commerce
Committee.

INCREASING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE RULE MAKING
PROCESS
(A.5218, McLaughlin)

This bill would establish a pilot program that would require seven
state agencies to hold hearings on proposed rules if there is a
petition of 100 or more New York State residents. This bill would
also authorize these agencies to employ innovative techniques, such
as evening and weekend hearings, utilization of broadcast and
teleconferencing technologies and roundtable discussions to increase
the public participation in these hearings, so long as the
utilization of these new technologies and formats does not impede
existing access.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Commerce,
Economic Development, and Small Business Committee.

REGULATING THE ENACTMENT OF AGENCY RULES AND
REGULATIONS
(A.5220, McLaughlin)

This bill would add definitions and controls to the State
Administrative Procedure Act (SAPA), dealing with the ways in which
sub-regulatory documents are created. Currently, the legal status
of these documents is not clearly stated and the procedures for
handling them vary from agency to agency. This bill would require
that their scope be uniformly defined and recognized.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Commerce,
Economic Development, and Small Business Committee.

INCREASING PUBLIC INPUT ON RULEMAKING
(A.5273, McLaughlin)

This bill would increase the public comment period on proposed
rules changes from 45 to 60 days, following their publication in
the state register. In addition this bill would require that the
public service commission either print their proposed rule changes
in the state register 45 days prior to adoption or, in cases in
which a hearing is statutorily required on a set of rules, that at
least 45 days notice be given for comment before the hearing.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Commerce,
Economic Development, and Small Business committee.

EXPANDING THE AUDIT POWERS OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER
(A.5626, Stringer)

This bill would require any agency audited by the Office of the
Comptroller to provide follow-up reports every 90 days until the
recommendations by the comptroller with which the agency concurs
have been implemented. These follow up reports must be distributed
to all parties who received the original audit and
recommendations.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Rules
Committee.

REPORTING REQUIREMENT REFORM ACT
(A.5853-B, Stringer)

This bill would enact the "Reporting Requirement Reform
Act." This measure would provide mandate relief through the
elimination of unneeded reporting requirements and would improve
government accountability through strengthened reporting
requirements.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Rules
Committee.

This bill would expand the state Human Rights law by creating a
newly recognized discriminatory practice. This bill would require
the owners and proprietors of public places, such as resorts and
places of amusement to make all reasonable accommodations to allow
individuals with disabilities to utilize their facilities.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Rules
Committee.

INCREASING THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF PUBLIC ENTITIES TO THE DISABLED
(A.4885-A, Cahill)

This bill would define the term "public entity" as the
state, state agency, department, or any political subdivision of the
state. This bill would expand the definition of unlawful
discriminatory practices to include the refusal of such a public
entity to make reasonable accommodations to a person with a
disability, to allow them to participate as fully as possible in
events, and to receive services from the public entity.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Rules
Committee.

PROTECTING STATE EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES
(A.5971, Luster)

This bill would establish liability on the part of the State for
violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under this
prospective legislation, employees of the state would attain the
right to seek damages in state court for violations of their
rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In addition,
this bill would allow citizens with disabilities to seek damages if
the state does not meet the ADA's standards for access to government
buildings, programs, and services.

This bill passed the Assembly but died in the Senate Rules
Committee.

INCREASING ACCESSIBLE HOUSING FOR THE DISABLED
(A.8931, Cahill)

This bill would reverse the impact of the adoption of the
International Building Code on handicapped accessibility, and
reinstate more stringent regulations regarding the mandatory
entrances and number of access points for the disabled. The recent
adoption of the IBC would greatly reduce the required number of
entrances, and the number of units in a multiple dwelling building
that must be adaptable, for accessibility by the disabled.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Rules
Committee.

The Governmental Operations Committee considers legislation concerning
the three entities charged with the delivery of emergency services
in the State. These agencies are the Office of Fire Prevention and
Control in the Department of State, the Bureau of Emergency Services
in the Department of Health, and the State Emergency Management
Office within the Division of Military and Naval Affairs.

This law will require all commercial and industrial structures
constructed with truss type construction to display a sign or symbol
disclosing the information. Knowledge of the way the building is
constructed can be of vital importance to fire and emergency services
personnel in the event of an emergency. By making this information
readily available on site, safety conditions will be improved for
those who work in the building and emergency services personnel.
This law does not apply to buildings within the city of New York.

INCREASING THE NUMBER OF POLICE OFFICERS
(Chapter 551 of the laws of 2001, A.8743/Canestrari)

This law allows public safety officers at New York's State
Universities to complement their public safety officer training
with additional training requirements to qualify for police officer
certification.

In 1998, legislation was passed that restored the State University
of New York public safety officers to full police officer status.
As a result, all new officers will be required to take basic police
officer training courses and receive a police officer certification.
As a result of this action, additional legislation was enacted,
which allowed individuals who had taken the basic training course
for public safety officer and who also completed additional training
equivalent to that of the police officers training to be certified
as police officers. However, individuals who had only taken the
public safety officers exam were not permitted to complete the
additional training necessary to be certified as police officers in
combination with their public safety certification.

CREATING THE THERMAL IMAGING CAMERA GRANT PROGRAM
(Chapter 469 of the laws of 2001, A.295/Tokasz)

This law creates a new grant program within the Office of Fire
Prevention and Control, intended to aid municipalities in the
purchasing of thermal imaging cameras. These important devices
allow fire fighters significantly greater visibility in dark,
smoke-filled rooms. Having access to this technology saves the
lives of both fire fighters and those that they are trying to find.
However, these cameras are extremely expensive and the cost alone
prevents many departments from obtaining them. This grant program
provides either matching funds or total grants, depending on the
annual operating budget of the department.

This bill would continue the State's practice of recognizing the
contributions of the Merchant Marines by extending to them similar
benefits that we offer to other members of our armed services. Under
current law, military personnel who have applied to take a civil
service exam and are then unable to take the examination due to the
responsibilities of their military position are entitled to a make
up exam when they return home. This bill would offer the same
consideration to members of the Merchant Marine.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Veteran and Military
Affairs Committee.

BUILDING AND SAFETY CODE COMPLIANCE
(A.1918, Colman)

This bill would require the owners of residential properties in
Rockland County to register with the county their name, address,
and a description of the property. This bill would also require
that when ownership changes, the primary residence of the owner
changes, or, in the case of cooperate ownership, office location
changes, that the new information be provided to the county. By
requiring that the owners of residential properties register both
their names and addresses, the county will be able to find the
owners of buildings that are in violation of the current building
code, thus reducing the potential for homes falling into disrepair
due to absentee landlords.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Rules
Committee.

EXPANDING ARSON PREVENTION
(A.6603, Levy)

This bill would allow the police commissioner of Suffolk county to
receive reports on arson investigations in place of the county
sheriff. Under existing law, fire departments have the right to
perform background checks on prospective employees, including the
receipt of any arson investigations that the prospective employee
has been a part of. However, in Suffolk county, the police
commissioner fills that role in place of the county sheriff. This
bill would allow the Suffolk County police commissioner to receive
the reports and transmit the information required by the fire
department to properly screen applicants.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Rules
Committee.

PROVIDING ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO THE DIVISION OF
MILITARY AND NAVAL AFFAIRS
(A.7411, Destito)

This bill would increase the monies available to the Division of
Military and Naval Affairs by continuing to allow them to collect
and retain the monies collected as rent from public and private
users. If the current law were allowed to expire, as it is
scheduled to do in March of 2001, the DMNA would be allowed to
keep only half of these revenues, but would still be responsible
for maintaining these facilities. Although this bill was not
enacted in this form, this provision of law was extended until
2003 as a part of the 2001-2002 budget.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Rules
Committee.

TRANSFER OF LAND IN LIVINGSTON COUNTY
(Chapter 123 of the laws of 2001, A.2367/Tocci)

This law authorizes the commissioner of the Office of General
Services to convey certain real property in the Town of Groveland,
Livingston County, to American Legion Post 1341. The Hally-Allen
Post (Post 1341) is currently using much of the land adjacent to
its post and this act will formally transfer the land to it.

TRANSFER OF LAND IN ORANGE COUNTY
(Chapter 496 of the laws of 2001, A.6022/ Gunther)

This law authorizes the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation
to transfer state owned lands and buildings to the Orange County
Historical Society. This transfer applies only to land and
structures that are not needed for the expansion of Stewart Airport,
for an amount that is to determined by the involved parties. These
properties are being transferred to the historical society due to
the historical significance of many of the structures still standing
on the property, which have been maintained by the historical
society. Should they cease to be used for historical preservation
purposes, these lands will revert back to state ownership.

PROPERTY REQUIREMENTS IN SUFFOLK COUNTY
(Chapter 269 of the laws of 2001, A.6781/Levy)

This law allows the Town of Islip to alter their 1985-86 land
transfer to the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) to allow
the Institute to sell surplus lands. Under the terms of the
original transfer from the Town to the Institute, there are a
number of restrictions placed of NYIT's use of the land, as a
result of the conditions of the 1982 transfer of the land from
the State to the Town of Islip. This law will allow the Town
to submit a resolution changing the conditions regarding the use
of the land to the Commissioner of the Office of General Services
for approval of the intended use of the land.

PROCUREMENT OF ROCK SALT
(Chapter 318 of 2001/A.7223, Gantt)

In 2000, the legislature as a part of the procurement laws created
a preference for New York State businesses that supply rock salt
for state use. This law creates an expiration date for this
practice of preference on October 20, 2002, so it's effectiveness
can be reviewed.

TRANSFER OF LAND IN THE CITY OF TROY
(Chapter 112 of 2001/A.8655, Canestrari)

This law allows for the transfer of land in the City of Troy to the
Altamont Program, Inc., to be used by this organization as a location
for programs to serve women and children in need. Should the land
be used for any other purpose, under the provisions of this law the
title of the land would revert back to the State.

TRANSFER OF LAND IN CAYUGA COUNTY
(Chapter 533 of the laws of 2001, A.9061/Finch)

This law allows the State to convey specified property in the Town
of Sennett, Cayuga County, to the Town to be used as a public park.
If at any time the land is used for any purpose other than a public
park, the land will revert back to the State.

AUTHORIZATION FOR EMERGENCY CONSTRUCTION
(Chapter 73 of the laws of 2001, A.9074/Destito)

This law extends the expiration date of Chapter 674 of the laws of
1993. This chapter permitted the Commissioner of General Services
to authorize, without public bidding, contracts for emergency
construction in amounts up to $200,000. Without this chapter
amendment, as of June 30, 2001, in emergency situations the
commissioner would only be authorized to enter contracts totaling
$40,000.

TRANSFER OF LAND IN MANHATTAN
(Chapter 337 of the laws of 2001, A.9091/ Powell)

This law allows the sale of state land in the borough of Manhattan
to EDAD, Inc., for the price of $1.00. This sale is conditional on
the development of the property as a shelter for the homeless in the
city of New York, as well as a multi-service center to encourage
local development, social services, education, and housing.

TRANSFER OF LAND IN ROCKLAND COUNTY
(Chapter 221 of the laws of 2001, A.9222/Colman)

This law authorizes the sale of state land in the town of Orangetown,
in the county of Rockland, to the Town. The commissioner of the
Office of General Services is empowered to approve the final sale.
If the sale takes place, the land must be used for municipal or
recreational purposes.

The law amends chapter 606 of the laws of 2000, which amended the
military law, extending the same benefits to police officers serving
in a military capacity abroad that they would receive if they
continued to serve as police officers domestically. This law makes
technical changes to the process specifying that police officers
must receive permission from their employer prior to leaving their
positions to go abroad.

This law creates the Internet Privacy Policy Act. Under this act,
regulations and standards are set forth for state agency website's
privacy and disclosure policies. The state office for technology
would be responsible for designing a model policy regarding what
information can be collected, the length of time it can be stored,
and how the collection of that information will be disclosed. All
state agencies collecting information about their users will be
required to comply with the standards of the model policy.

COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT
(Chapter 360 of the laws of 2001, A.4422/Jacobs)

This law extends the authority of the Department of State to
administer the Federal Community Services Block Grant program. Under
current law, authorization for the important community-based programs
financed by this money would expire September 30, 2001. This law
postpones the sunset date until September 30, 2002.

CONTINUED EDUCATION FOR REAL ESTATE APPRAISERS
(Chapter 476 of the laws of 2001, A.4599/Destito)

This law allows real estate appraisers to complete continuing
education requirements through computer-based distance learning
courses. Under existing law, it is unclear if the Department of
State has the authority to approve this type of internet-based
course, because there are not adequate provisions for monitoring
and completion of course hours. Use of these computer-based training
courses is conditional upon the approval of the specific program by
the Department of State.

NOTARY PUBLIC APPLICATION FEES
(Chapter 129 of the laws of 2001, A.5584/John)

This law corrects a legislative oversight in a prior chapter. Chapter
171 of the laws of 2000 extends the term of a notary public license
from two to four years. Inadvertently, the $10 fee payable to the
office of the county clerk for a two-year license was not raised to
$20 to correspond with the new four year term. This law will correct
that oversight, by making the fee $20 every four years.

CITY OF MECHANICVILLE CITY COURT JUDGE RESIDENCY
(Veto number 63, A.8317/Casale)

This bill would allow the acting city court judge for the city of
Mechanicville to reside any where in Saratoga County. Under existing
law the acting city court judge for this municipality is required to
reside within the city boundaries.

TOWN OF SOMERS RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS
(Chapter 206, A.8342/Matusow)

This law allows the town of Somers, in Westchester County, to hire
residents of Dutchess County, which is adjacent to Westchester
County, to fill the positions of Town Building Inspector and Court
Clerk. Existing law requires that these positions be filled by
Westchester County residents, thus severely limiting the number of
qualified applicants.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS IN THE TOWN OF NORTH CASTLE
(Chapter 238 of 2001/A.8343, Matusow)

This law will allow the Town of North Castle in Westchester County
to hire a non-resident of the Town as the Town Building Inspector.
Under existing law this position must be filled by a town
resident.

INTERMUNICIPAL WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
(Chapter 454 of the laws of 2001, A. 8933/Destito)

This law eliminates separate categories for waterfront development
projects to allow both. This change is intended to encourage the
development and revitalization of waterfront properties by making it
easier to engage in intermunicipal development projects. The primary
source of funding for waterfront redevelopment is through the
Environmental Protection fund, and while the existing regulations
governing the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act would still apply
to grants through the federal government, the state as a whole would
benefit by allowing inland waterways to receive monies through the
EPA's revitalization programs. By removing these barriers, and
therefore opening new funding streams to these redevelopment projects,
the state is removing one of the most significant roadblocks to
urban revitalization.

REGULATION OF CHARITIES
(A.871, Morelle)

This bill would alter existing regulations regarding the financial
disclosures that must be made by charitable organizations to include
the definition of "professional fund raiser," and to
require that these "professional fundraisers" make the same
disclosures as individuals who are directly affiliated with the
organization for which money is being raised. This bill would also
give the attorney general greater ability to regulate and investigate
the practices of charitable organizations, as well as altering income
thresholds for certain financial disclosures.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Rules
Committee.

PUBLIC NOTIFICATION WARNINGS
(A.6668, Sanders)

This bill would require notaries who are not attorneys to post a
sign in English and Spanish stating that fact. This bill would
protect Hispanic immigrants from fraudulent and exploitative dealings
by "notaries publics." This type of disclosure is
necessary if the individual advertises in Spanish, as the term in
Spanish, unlike English, indicates that the individual is entitled
to practice law. A sign must be posted, in English and Spanish,
stating that a notary is not an attorney or counselor at law
licensed to practice law in New York and is not authorized to
give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice. Any notary
public who violates these regulations, upon conviction, would
be fined up to two hundred and fifty dollars.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Finance
Committee.

DESIGNATION OF BASTOGNE DAY
(Chapter 128 of the laws of 2001, A.5116/Vitaliano)

This law designates December 16 as Bastogne Day, a day of
commemoration. Bastogne Day refers to the battle in Europe during
World War II, also known as the Battle of the Bulge, which began
December 16, 1944. It was a major German offensive in the Ardennes
forest region of Belgium and Luxembourg, which took Allied forces by
surprise and was intended to split the Allied forces in Europe by
breaking through the Allied lines, crippling Allied fuel supply
lines, and exacerbating tensions within the alliance. The American,
British, and other Allied forces overcame great odds throughout the
battle, including most famously the action of the 101st Airborne
Division in holding back German forces at the key Belgian crossroads
town Bastogne, thereby preventing German forces from achieving their
main objectives. This day is intended to honor the American and
European soldiers who battled heroically on that day.

This bill would authorize the Commissioner of the Office of General
Services to erect a monument in either Capitol Park or the Nelson A.
Rockefeller Empire State Plaza in the City of Albany, honoring
emergency service workers who have lost their lives.

This bill passed the Assembly, but died in the Senate Rules
Committee.

The Governmental Operations Committee participated in four public hearings during the
2001 Legislative Session.

911 Emergency Telephone Service
On May 15, 2001, the Committee, in conjunction with the Committees
on Local Governments, Ways and Means, Corporations, Authorities and
Commissions, and the Assembly Subcommittee on Volunteer
Emergency/Ambulance Service held a public hearing to examine 911
emergency telephone service. The purpose of this hearing was to
discuss the operation and effectiveness of emergency telephone
service throughout New York State.

The Charitable Response to the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack on
the World Trade Center
On November 7, 2001, the Committee conducted a joint public hearing with
the Speaker and the Committees on Codes, Judiciary, and Oversight, Analysis
and Investigation to examine the charitable response to the September 11,
2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

The purpose of this hearing was to inform the legislature and the public
about the planned uses and distribution of charitable donations made in
response to the attack on the World Trade Center. As a result of this
hearing, the Committee reported and the Assembly passed A.871, which would
enhance regulations regarding financial disclosures that must be made by
charitable organizations.

September 11, 2001 Emergency Appropriations
On December 4, 2001, the Committee conducted a joint public hearing
with the Speaker and the Committees on Ways and Means, and
Corporations, Authorities and Commissions to examine emergency
appropriations due to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack
on the World Trade Center.

The purpose of this hearing was to inform the legislature and the
public about the status of federal and state appropriations to help
New York City and its residents and businesses recover from the
September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. The hearing
was useful in reviewing how much money has been pledged, how much
money had been raised and how funds would be dispersed.

Issues Related to the Operation of the Indian Point Nuclear
Facility
On December 20, 2001, the Committee participated in a joint hearing
with the Committees on Energy and Environmental Conservation in order
to examine the operation of the Indian Point Nuclear Facility.

The purpose of this hearing was to obtain information on the safety
and operability of the Indian Point Nuclear Facility.

The Governmental Operations Committee will continue to look at
ways to enhance public safety through improving communication systems
and other important equipment needs for police, fire and paramedic
personnel state wide. Building the state-wide wireless communication
system and expanding C-911, expanding the distribution of thermal
imaging cameras, and improving the guidelines for use of ballistic
body armor are only some of the issues that the Committee hopes to
address in the 2002 legislative session.

CRIME VICTIMS

The Governmental Operations Committee will continue to pursue
legislative remedies to the unique problems and struggles faced by
crime victims and work to improve the functions and responsiveness
of the Crime Victims Board.

The Committee will again work to achieve Senate passage of its full
legislative package. New legislative initiatives will be explored
through outreach by the Chair to members of the Crime Victims Board
and its Advisory Council as well as to victims and victims'
advocates.

Of particular importance will be efforts to improve victim awareness
of the existence of the Board. In addition the Committee will explore
such issues as improved compensation levels, particularly an
essential personal property award increase, and the need to extend
loss of earnings/loss of support coverage to parents or guardians
of child victims.

Requires that all commercial and industrial structures that utilize truss type construction be
identifiable as such in case of emergency. Chapter 119 of the laws of 2001.

A.295-A

Tokasz

Creates a thermal imaging camera grant program to provide grants to municipalities,
fire districts, fire companies, and fire departments with operating budgets
of $150,000 or less for the purchase of thermal imaging cameras. Chapter
469 of the laws of 2001.

A.1512

Jacobs

Requires public employees who wish to serve the United States Government abroad while
receiving pension credit for their service time to receive the authorization
of their employees prior to doing so. Chapter 248 of the laws of 2001.

A.2358-B

Sweeney

Creates the Internet Privacy Policy Act for state agencies.
Chapter 578 of the laws of 2000.

A.2367-B

Tocci

Authorizes the Commissioner of the Office of General Services to convey
land in the Town of Groveland, Livingston County, to American Legion Post
1341. Chapter 123 of the laws of 2001.

A.4422

Jacobs

Extends the authorization of the Department of State to distribute
the Community Services Block Grant for an additional year.
Chapter 360 of the Laws of 2001.

A.4516

Mayersohn

Extends the period of time during which victims may file a claim with the Crime
Victims Board, if they were unaware of the program. Chapter 359 of the
laws of 2001.

A.4599

Destito

Allows real estate appraisers to complete continuing education requirements through computer based or
other distance programs so long as the program in question meets certain
monitoring requirements. Chapter 476 of the laws of 2001.

A.5116

Vitaliano

Designates December 16 as "Bastogne Day," a day of
commemoration. Chapter 128 of the laws of 2001.

A.5217-A

McLaughlin

Creates a procedure by which local governments may petition for and receive permission to establish
alternative methods of implementation of rules enacted by state agencies.
Chapter 479 of the laws of 2001.

A.5584-A

John

Authorizes county clerks to collect an increased fee for the
filing of a notary public application, to conform with the
increased term length. Chapter 129 of the laws of 2001.

A.5798

Grannis

Reinstates provisions of the state lobbying law as it pertains
to local governments and requires the submission of a report
on the impact of these provisions on municipalities no later
than October 1, 2001. Chapter 17 of the laws 2001.

A.6022-B

Gunther

Authorizes the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation to transfer
specified state-owned lands to Orange County. Chapter 496 of the laws of 2001.

A.6781-A

Levy

Authorizes the Town of Islip to sell land originally
purchased from the State, free of the restrictions for land
use that were placed on the original sale. Chapter 269 of
the laws of 2001.

A.7223

Gantt

Enacts an expiration date of October 20, 2002, for the
provisions of the state procurement law that allow preferential treatment
in the selection of New York State rock salt providers. Chapter 318 of
the laws of 2001.

A.8342

Matusow

Waives the existing residency requirement for the town building inspector and
the court clerk in the Town of Somers, Westchester County. Chapter 206 of
the laws of 2001.

A.8343

Matusow

Waives the existing residency requirement for the position of town building
inspector in the town of North Castle, Westchester County. Chapter 238
of the laws of 2001.

A.8655

Canestrari

Authorizes the Office of General Services to transfer property in the City of
Troy to the Altamont Program, Inc. Chapter 112 of the laws of 2001.

A.8743

Canestrari

Authorizes the State to issue a basic training certificate to peace officers who are now
police officers who meet specified requirement for their training. Chapter
551 of the laws of 2001.

A.8932

Canestrari

Extends the ability of former state employees to assist the state in lawsuits when
counsel other than the Attorney General is representing the state.
Chapter 357 of the laws of 2001.

A.8933-A

Destito

Eliminates the existing categories for waterfront development projects to encourage
more cooperative waterfront development efforts. Chapter 454 of the laws of 2001.

A.8956-A

Sweeney

Requires the creation of uniform research protocol for genetic research that would protect the
privacy and anonymity of the individuals whose genetic material is used in such research. Chapter 342 of the laws of 2001.

A.9061-A

Finch

Authorizes the State to transfer land in the town of Sennet, Cayuga County, for the purpose of creating a park.
Chapter 533 of the laws of 2001.

A.9065

Destito

Allows state agencies to deny public access to information that would
jeopardize the security of their information technology assets. Chapter
368 of the laws of 2001.

A.9074

Destito

Extends for an additional 2 years the authority of the Commissioner of
General Services to authorize, without public bidding, contracts for
emergency construction. Chapter 73 of the laws of 2001.

A.9091

Powell

Authorizes the Commissioner of the Office of General Services to sell and convey state
lands in Manhattan to EDAD, Inc, a not-for-profit organization, to be used for various economic development and social services in the community. Chapter 551 of the laws of 2001.

A.9222

Colman

Authorizes the Commissioner of the Office of General Services to sell certain state lands in Rockland County to the Town of
Orangetown. Chapter 221 of the laws of 2001.

A.9278

Destito

Expands the definition of income under the "Son of Sam Law" to allow victims of crimes to seek restitution from additional income
sources that the perpetrator may have available. Chapter 62 of the laws of 2001.

Would provide requirements for legislative and administrative involvement in the implementation of rules
as required by chapter law.

A.97

Christensen

Would direct the Division of Human Rights to institute rules of practice for the consolidation of complaints
where appropriate.

A.134

John

Would redefine the term public body under the Public Officers Law.

A.871-D

Morelle

Would make changes to the regulations controlling financial disclosure by certain charitable organizations.

A.970

Luster

Would require that public bodies make a reasonable effort to hold meetings in a location that will accommodate
all members of the public who wish to attend.

A.1333

Dinowitz

Would require that the Crime Victims Board issue awards in accordance with the State
Administrative Procedure Act.

A.1439-A

Lentol

Would regulate the disclosure of information during charitable solicitations.

A.1721

Sidikman

Would establish a victims assistance program within the Crime Victims Board.

A.1730

Stringer

Would make the willful release of information regarding the statewide registry for orders of protection and family offense
warrants to persons not authorized to receive such information a class A misdemeanor.

A.1732

Stringer

Would require that state agencies proposing a change in state facilities in any city with a population of 1 million or more to submit written
notice of such proposals with a solicitation for recommendations to the city and community planning boards, the senate and assembly representatives
in the area and the borough president, as well as requiring that the agency
act on recommendation from these parties.

A.1736

Tocci

Would provide members of the Merchant Marine who were unable to compete in a
civil service exam due to active duty an opportunity to take a make up exam.

A.1918

Colman

Would require that owners of residential dwellings in Rockland County notify the
county of the name of the owners as well as their primary residence or office.

A.1953

Hoyt

Would require that the executive maintain specified public and private records, as well as establishing
protocol for control of the records following the governor's term in office.

A.1971

Sanders

Would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, defined as
heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, or asexuality, in employment, credit, education or other matters.

A.1978

Stringer

Would require that public bodies make reasonable efforts to have qualified
interpreters for the hearing impaired at public meetings.

A.1985

Sidikman

Would require the development and implementation of uniform procedures
to be used to notify crime victims of their rights.

Would require the submission of evaluation reports and program plans
to the state workforce investment board.

A.2146

John

Would require that certain officials keep records of their communications with
regard to rulemaking, and that these records be make available to the public.

A.2215

John

Would allow revenues raised by fines being paid under the state's antitrust
laws to be paid to the Crime Victims' Board.

A.2341

Sanders

Would allow individuals to bring valid civil suits in relation to human rights
violations for 3 years after their cases are dismissed for administrative
reasons by the Division of Human Rights.

A.2973

Sanders

Would change reporting requirements for the Crime Victims Board regarding
restitution and fair treatment standards from annual to biannual.

A.2975

Sweeney

Would authorize the Office of General Services to erect in Capitol Park
or the Empire State Plaza, a monument in honor of emergency service workers
who have lost their lives.

A.3199

Canestrari

Would limit restriction of business and political activities of certain
state employees who where terminated after January 1, 1995, and before April
1, 2002, for certain reasons such as economic changes, abolition of duties,
or consolidation within their departments

A.3747

Sweeney

Would make language changes increasing the effectiveness of the statute to
prohibit discrimination based on an individual's genetic predispositions.

A.3909

Pretlow

Would authorize the Crime Victims' Board to accept official documentation
other than a police report in cases of rape, sexual assault, child abuse, and
domestic violence.

A.3960

Galef

Would make references in the constitution gender neutral or to include
females, where appropriate.

A.4130

Christensen

Would provide relief to small businesses and the public from excessive fees
imposed by state agencies.

A.4132

Christensen

Would authorize fines, with the exception of traffic tickets,
in excess of $300 dollars, to be paid in installments.

A.4133

Christensen

Would require that regulatory impact statements detail the
benefits and costs of proposals.

A.4321

Ortiz

Would redefine the term "necessary court appearance" when determining
an individual's award from the Crime Victims' Board.

A.4540

Mayersohn

Would increase amount the Crime Victims Board may award for replacement of personal
property from $100 to $750.

A.4706

Christensen

Would require that rule-making agencies provide an easily understandable small business guide, informing
small business owners what they must do to be in compliance.

A.4707

Cahill

Would more effectively protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination
in public accommodations.

A.4715

Finch

Would authorize the transfer of land in Cayuga county to the
Sennett Fire District.

A.4885-A

Cahill

Would make the scope of protection for individuals with disabilities
under the state human rights law consistent with federal legislation.

A.5218

McLaughlin

Would authorize the use of innovative techniques to enhance public participation in the rulemaking process,
provided that all existing opportunities to participate remain undiminished.

A.5220

McLaughlin

Would enact regulations and guidelines regarding rulemaking
under the State Administrative Procedure Law.

A.5273

McLaughlin

Would extend the period provided for public review
and comment on proposed rules and rule changes.

A.5296

Clark

Would prohibit individuals and organizations from
charging different prices for identical services on the basis of sex.

A.5416

DiNapoli

Would prohibit the practice of compensating
employees of different sexes differently for work of comparable value.

A.5420

DiNapoli

Would establish a crime victims' ombudsman within
the Division of Criminal Justice Services.

A.5421

DiNapoli

Would provide that candidates for statewide office and the state legislature must submit financial disclosure forms no less than 14 days after
the last day for the submission of petitions for their parties' primaries.

A.5494

DiNapoli

Would raise the level of claims to $6,000 before financial difficulty needs to be established to receive
Crime Victims Board restitution.